Posts Tagged ‘NeuLion’

NeuLion, technology product and service provider for digital distribution, announced second quarter of 2016 financial results. GAAP revenue for Q2 2016 was $24.1 million, an increase of 6.2% versus Q2 2015, and a decrease of 8.4% compared to Q1 2016.

NeuLion’s acquisition of Saffron Digital was completed on June 3, 2016, so less than a month of Saffron’s sales were included in the quarter’s results. Saffron was a $14.7 million (USD) annual revenue business in 2014.

Gross margins (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) were 83.0% for Q2 2016, an increase of 200 basis points versus the year-earlier period, and an increase of 100 basis points against the preceding quarter. The margin improvement was attributed to lower costs with technology licenses in NeuLion’s consumer electronics products.

Operating loss for Q2 2016 was $0.3 million, which compares to an operating loss of $2.5 million during Q2 2015, and operating income of $3.4 in Q1 2016.

Net loss for the second quarter of 2016 was $0.8 million, which compares to a loss of $3.2 million in Q2 2015, and net income of $2.1 million during Q1 2016.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $12.9 million for the quarter, an increase of 13.2% versus Q2 2015, and an increase of 8.4% when measured against the preceding quarter. SG&A expense as a percentage of revenue were 54.0% for Q2 2016. In the comparable periods, SG&A was 50.0% of sales in Q2 2015 and 45.0% in Q1 2016.

In NeuLion’s prepared remarks for the quarter, President and Chief Executive Officer Roy Reichbach highlighted the Company’s plans to invest in sales and marketing. “Our technology is best in class and now is the time to match our sales and marketing prowess with our technology development skills” said Mr. Reichback. The investment in sales resources calls for the hiring of 22 or more new sales personnel. This will add to the headcount of 22 at the end of the second quarter.

Research and development (“R&D”) expense was $5.3 million for Q2 2016, a 29.3% decrease on a year-over-year basis, and an increase of 20.5% against the preceding quarter. The year-over-year decline stems from synergies achieved in the integration of DivX. R&D expense represented 22.0% of the quarter’s revenue, in comparison to 33.0% in Q2 2015 and 17.0% in Q1 2016.

Cash and cash equivalents ended the quarter at $46.1 million. This compares to a cash balance of $61.5 million at the end of the prior quarter. A major contributor to the decline was the $7.5 million of upfront cash consideration used in the Saffron acquisition.

NeuLion had 524 full time employees at the end of Q2 2016. This is up from 498 total employees as of the end of the preceding quarter.

Revenue by Service and Product Offerings:

NeuLion Digital Platform revenue was $15.9 million for Q2 2016, an increase of 2.6% over Q2 2015 revenue, and a decrease of 13.1% compared to Q1 2016. Excluding revenues related to the NHL and Rogers – which have declined based on the MLBAM and NHL partnership – NeuLion grew its Digital Platform revenues 12% year-over-year.

DivX and MainConcept product lines contributed GAAP revenue of $8.2 million for Q2 2016, a 13.9% increase over Q2 2015, and an increase of 2.5% versus Q1 2016.

Revenue by Geography:

Revenues from North America were $14.9 million for the quarter, an increase of 0.9% on a year-over-year basis and a decrease of 18.7% on a sequential basis. North America accounted for 62.0% of total sales in the quarter, compared to 65.0% in Q2 2015 and 70.0% in Q1 2016.

Europe contributed revenue of $2.3 million in second quarter of 2016, representing a 13.0% increase versus Q2 2015 and a 19.2% increase against Q1 2016. For the quarter, Europe was 10.0% of sales. During Q2 2015 Europe accounted for 9.0% of sales and in the preceding quarter Europe represented 7.0% of total sales.

Revenues in Asia were $6.9 million for the quarter, an increase of 17.6% versus Q2 2015, and an increase of 14.7% against Q1 2016. As a percentage of sales, Asia contributed 29.0% of revenue in the quarter. This compares to a contribution of 26.0% in Q2 2015 and 23.0% in Q1 2016.

EFL Digital, responsible for the digital business of the English Football League, selected NeuLion as its digital platform. Sky Sports selected NeuLion as the technology provider for its live OTT event services. Also in the quarter, NeuLion worked with the UFC to deliver a live OTT 4K pay-per-view event.

Responding to an analyst’s question, EVP Marketplace Strategy Chris Wagner added commentary on NeuLion’s work with the UFC, stating,

“…the momentum for 4K delivery, we’re seeing that. I mean UFC delivered over the top, a pay-per-view that earned in round numbers about $60, which gave the fan the ability to get HD or 4K.

So what we see from content rights holders and content owners is a move to start to organize their events, create some 4K content, definitely it’s going to be delivered over the top…The MVPDs like it because it’s broadband and it’s their most profitable product. Fans love it. The feedback that we got from people who bought the digital tickets for 4K and watched on their Sony was pretty significant. We know we had – the average engagement time was essentially the entire fight.

So the rights holders know that the quality matters to consumers. I think you’ll see a positioning around 4K content. If you really want that quality, you know perhaps it’s charged differently and more expensive than lower forms of quality. UFC has done that with HD for a while now with different price points. But we’re seeing all of our content rights holders and owners of sort of think through how they’re going to focus and deliver on 4K.”

We have been publishing the BBS Reports since 2009. Each new edition is created through several months of research, including interviews with technology end-users, global surveys of technology decision makers, analysis of the end-user responses, and visualization of the data collected. Now in its eighth year of publication, the BBS remains the most comprehensive annual study of technology end-users in the global broadcast and media technology industry. Nearly 10,000 technology professionals in 100+ countries participate in the BBS each year, making it the largest market study of the media technology industry.

Based on feedback from technology vendors, media companies, and investors, we have updated the vendors, product categories, and market trends profiled in the 2016 BBS to better align with recent market developments.

Select updates include the global tracking of IP Standard Adoption, a product level review of the 4K upgrade cycle, and planned usage of programmatic advertising exchanges.

The continual updates over the past eight years have helped the BBS reports remain a critical reference for industry executives to improve strategic decision-making, customer engagement, marketing strategy, product planning, and sales execution. In addition to technology vendor and service provider strategic planning, BBS reports are also used frequently for M&A and investment activities by both buyers and sellers.

Three types of 2016 BBS reports are available:

2016 BBS Global Brand Reports: provides deep insight into how each more than 100 broadcast technology suppliers (see full list below) are perceived by market participants, along with comprehensive benchmarking of broadcast technology vendors on a wide variety of metrics

NeuLion, a technology product and service provider for digital distribution, announced several executive management changes along with the acquisition of London-based Saffron Digital.

Dr. Kanaan Jemili resigned from the position of President and CEO, though will remain as a consultant with the Company. Roy Reichback, NeuLion’s General Counsel and a member of the board of directors, has been promoted to the position of President and CEO.

NeuLion’s Chief Financial Officer Art McCarthy also resigned his position at NeuLion. Trevor Renfield will replace Mr. McCarthy as the new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Renfield had previously served as the Chief Financial Officer at DivX, which was acquired by NeuLion in February 2015.

Nancy Li, a co-founder of NeuLion, was promoted to Executive Chair of the NeuLion board and will continue to focus on technology development and product strategy. Charles Wang will step down from his position of Chairman of the Board, though will remain a member of the board of directors.

NeuLion’s SEC filings on the management reorganization states the “changes were not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices, or with the audit committee or the Company’s auditors.”

Separate to the management changes, NeuLion announced the acquisition of Saffron Digital, a video delivery platform company. It was an all cash transaction. Terms were not disclosed.

This is the third acquisition of Saffron Digital since its founding in 2006.

Smartphone manufacturer HTC acquired Saffron for $48.3 million in February 2011. Based on 2010 revenue performance, the deal value equated to a revenue multiple of 5.5x.

HTC subsequently divested Saffron ahead of the 2013 IBC Show to Toronto-based DVD and CD manufacturer Cinram. Cinram was backed by the Najafi Companies, a private investment firm. The stated value of the 2013 transaction was $47 million. As reported by Focus Taiwan, the acquisition consideration consisted of $7.5 million up front cash with an additional $39.5 million over the next five years. HTC also maintained royalty free rights to Saffron’s intellectual property.

According to its UK filings, Saffron’s revenue performance declined from $19.8 million in 2012 to $14.7 million in 2014. The resulting impact on after tax profits was considerable. During the same period Saffron went from generating an after tax profit to losing more than $5 million in 2014.

In the press release announcing the transaction, the cited acquisition rationale was the opportunity to expand NeuLion’s entertainment customer concentration and enhance its technology offering to better support video on demand services. Customers using Saffron Digital’s platform include Carrefour, BT, Deutsche Telecom, iTV, Tribeca Films, and Vidity. All of Saffron’s employees (more than 50) are joining NeuLion.

Commenting on the transaction, Jason Keane, CEO for Saffron Digital stated, “We are excited to join NeuLion. As part of NeuLion, we can now offer our customers a compelling OTT platform for all premium digital content with support for all types of business models.”

Roy Reichbach, President and Chief Executive Officer for NeuLion added, “The integrated company can offer owners and rights holders of sports and entertainment a complete end to end solution for both live and on demand content that is a clear market leader.”

Net Income for the full year 2015 was $25.9 million versus $3.6 million for 2014. The sharp increase in 2015 net income was primarily attributable to a $31.2 million income tax benefit recognized during Q4 2015.

Gross margins (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) were 81% for 2015, an increase over the 75% gross margins from 2014. Kanaan Jemili attributed the margin improvement to further scale in NeuLion’s Digital Platform business and the addition of revenue streams from the acquisition of DivX.

Operating income for 2015 was negative $1.86 million, which compares to positive $3.5 million during 2014.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $45.6 million for the 2015, an increase of 68.6% versus 2014. SG&A expense as a percentage of revenue was 48.5% for 2015, flat when compared to 2014 levels.

Research and development (“R&D”) expense was $24.9 million for the full year, an almost tripling (197%) of R&D expense versus $8.3 million in 2014. R&D expense represented 26.5% of 2015 revenue, in comparison to 15.1% in 2014. The increase in R&D expense was almost entirely attributable to additional headcount from the acquisition of DivX.

Cash and cash equivalents ended the year at $53.4 million. This compares to a cash balance of $25.8 million at the end of 2014. Positive changes in working capital accounts contributed $18.3 million to the increase in cash.

NeuLion had 638 total employees (504 full time) as of February 29, 2016. This is down from the 767 total employees (567 full-time) as of March 1, 2015.

Net income for the fourth quarter was $32.8 million versus $1.6 million for Q4 2014.

Gross margins for Q4 2015 were 81%, an improvement versus the 75% gross margins in Q4 2014. The 600 basis point increase was primarily the result of the addition of revenues from DivX and improved operating costs for NeuLion Digital Platform.

Q4 2015 operating income was $1.7 million, a slight decrease of 2.3% versus Q4 2014. Operating margins for the quarter were 6.3%, compared to 10.9% in Q4 2014.

SG&A expense for Q4 2015 was $13.2 million, a 65% increase versus Q4 2014. R&D expense was $5.5 million during the fourth quarter, an increase of 161% when compared to Q4 2014.

Revenue by Service and Product Offerings:

NeuLion Digital Platform revenue was $66.1 million for 2015, an increase of 19% over 2014 revenue. For Q4 2015 GAAP revenue was $19.8 million, representing a 20% increase in year-over-year performance.

DivX and MainConcept product lines contributed GAAP revenue of $28.0 million for 2015. The product lines contributed GAAP revenue of $8.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2015. Comparable periods are not available since the DivX and MainConcept product lines were acquired in January 2015.

Management called attention to the launch of Univision NOW, a new direct-to-consumer over-the-top service by Univision. Univision NOW uses the NeuLion Digital Platform. Other customer case studies mentioned were the delivery of multiple live NBA games in 4K with BT Sports and a 4K live stream of the national soccer teams of Mexico and Senegal from Miami (carried by Univision).

More broadly, NeuLion’s management reviewed key performance indicators of its Digital Platform including a 26% year-over-year increase in the number of live events and a 35% year-over-year increase in video traffic.

Separate to the earnings release, NeuLion announced a $10 million stock buyback. The stock repurchase will occur over the next 12 months. $10 million represents a meaningful percentage of NeuLion’s market cap, which is currently $264 million.

Online video platform provider NeuLion reported that its revenue for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $16.5m, an increase of 17% versus the same period a year ago, and up 32% versus the previous quarter.

Consolidated net income for the quarter was $1.6m, or $0.01 per basic and diluted share, an increase of up from $1.1m last year, and $0.2m last quarter.

Operating income for the quarter was $1.8m, up from $1.1m last year, and $0.2m last quarter

Company CEO Kanaan Jemili said the NeiLion’s improved performance for the quarter reflects the company’s “continued gains in volume and usage from new and existing customers and demonstrating the earnings power of our business model.”

On a segment basis:

Revenue from Pro Sports was $7.9m, an increase of 18% versus the same period a year ago, and an increase of 52% versus the previous quarter. The company attributed the year-over-year increase in pro sports revenue to growth in variable subscription fees.

College Sports revenue was $3.6m, down 8% versus the same period a year ago, up 16.1% versus the previous quarter. The company attributed the year-over-year decline college sports revenue to the loss of the company’s ability to sell subscriptions for certain colleges, as colleges move to consolidate into conferences and sports networks

Revenue from TV Everywhere was $5m, up 43% versus the same period a year ago, and up 47.1% versus the previous quarter. The company said TV Everywhere revenue increased because of increases in monthly fixed fees and variable usage fees.

Expenses during the quarter were up across the board. Selling, general and administrative expenses, including stock-based compensation, were $8m, an increase of 27%, versus the same period a year ago. Including in selling, general and administrative costs were approximately $0.8 million of acquisition-related expenses and $0.2 million in costs associated with compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Research and development expenses in the fourth quarter were $2.1m, an increase of 5%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.

Full year 2014 Results

NeuLion’s revenue for the full year 2014 was $55.5m, up 18% versus the previous year.

Consolidated net income for the full year 2014 was $3.6m, or $0.01 per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $2.3m in 2013.

Full year 2014 operating income for the quarter was $3.5m, versus an operating loss of $1.6m in 2013.

NeuLion CEO Kanaan Jemili said the company’s improved performance for the quarter reflects the company’s “continued gains in volume and usage from new and existing customers and demonstrating the earnings power of our business model.”

“With the acquisition of DivX, we have entered 2015 excited about our expanded set of opportunities globally to continue scaling the business and to seize leadership from both a technology platform and consumer experience perspective in the fast-growing online video market,” added Dr. Jemili. “We are intently focused on enlarging our customer base of both sports and entertainment content owners and consumer electronics manufacturers while continuing to expand relationships with our established customers. As adoption of ultra HD/4K video and Over-the-Top services accelerates, our end-to-end solution offerings, which enable digital content management, distribution and monetization, perfectly position NeuLion to deliver high quality on-demand and live interactive digital content anywhere, on any device,” concluded Dr. Jemili.

Online video platform NeuLion has completed the acquisition of DivX, a provider of video codecs and software for viewing and authoring.

The total transaction value was approximately $62.5m, comprised of 35.89 million newly issued shares of its common stock and a two-year convertible promissory note in the initial principal amount of $25 million subject to working capital credit of $2 million.

DivX CEO Kanaan Jemili will become CEO of the combined company, and NeuLion CEO Nancy Li will become Executive Vice Chairman of company’s board of directors

This is the fourth time in recent memory that DivX, a former publicly traded company has been acquired.

In 2010 DivX was acquired by Sonic Solutions $323m. At that time Sonic Solutions said it planned to form a new professional technology division, which combined DivX subsidiary MainConcept with Sonic’s existing professional products group in order to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ for companies that are looking to incorporate media management technologies into their products and services.